"Guest List" yacht abandoned on Hampton Beach

Unwanted 'Guest': Boat causes stir at Hampton Harbor

By Kyle Stucker

Hampton Union, May 23, 2014

Guest List, an abandoned white boat registered out of Newburyport, Mass., sits on the salt marshes at the end of Tuttle Avenue at Hampton Beach in Alicia Preston’s back yard. [Rich Beauchesne photo]

HAMPTON — The Seacoast area's newest resident celebrity has been entertaining locals for months, although the celebrity isn't a person. It's a giant boat, and one that has generated tales taller than the vessel itself.

Alicia Preston and her Hampton Harbor neighbors were enthralled when they first saw the 75-foot, engineless and captainless white yacht make aimless, meandering passes across the shallow waters, almost as if some bizarre movie were unfolding before their eyes.VIDEO

The ship known as Guest List also has had no shortage of outlandish rumors on its manifest since it was first sighted.

There have been whispers that the tattered old Navy Burger yacht would be transformed into the area's newest restaurant, while many swear the vessel is fated for a fiery explosion in a Denzel Washington flick. Some even say the living quarters are being used as a secret pornography studio.

These rumors haven't just been floating through the Seacoast area — they've been barreling full steam ahead, and they've turned the yacht, which now sits idle and immobile in the marsh, into quite a spectacle.

"It was humorous because we all just watched it slowly coming, slowly coming," said Preston. "There was a humorous side of it because it's this giant boat and no one's done anything about it."

There has always been a hint of fear within the comedy surrounding Guest List because it broke free of not one but two moorings after it was first brought to Hampton late last fall. Harbor officials said the yacht found its way to Hampton — after stops in ports in Massachusetts, Maine and the Portsmouth area— because the marina was thought to be the only one that had the space and ability to store the hulking shell of a boat for the Brazilian citizen who purchased it.

Guest List proved otherwise not long after arriving in Hampton, as it broke free and floated throughout the harbor, nearly striking the bridge. It was temporarily subdued by its second mooring in January, although the boat once again set itself free to embark on an unmanned voyage.

Complicating the matter was the fact that harbor and state officials were completely unsuccessful in making contact with the owner of the "fiberglass monster" because he returned to Brazil, according to Jim Patenaude, the service manager at Hampton Harbor Boatworks.

Officials thought they found the solution for their white whale by grounding it — with permission from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, according to Chief Harbor Master Tracy Shattuck— along the marsh adjacent to its original mooring and behind Preston's 25 Tuttle Ave. home.

That's when the saga's script fully flipped from a comedy to a thriller for harborside residents.

Each passing storm and high tide reportedly drew the boat closer and closer to the homes in the area, including one particularly rough day where Preston's mother Judy, the owner of 25 Tuttle Ave., thought it would come crashing through her window.

"It wasn't funny anymore," said Preston. "The humor went a little bit awry when it almost knocked my house down."

The slow creep through the muck ripped a large hole in the underside of the yacht, causing its stern to sink deep into the mud and fully halt its journey, according to Patenaude. Despite this, the legend of Guest List has continued, as the yacht has now sat idle for over three months and has caused a new slate of issues, much to the displeasure of Hampton residents and officials.

"People are very concerned," said Town Manager Fred Welch. "It's a mess."

The vessel has begun disturbing the inlet in its current location, causing water to pool and flow past the yacht into an area with wetlands, possibly in violation of state law, according to Welch. The yacht's deck has also reportedly become a popular spot for late-night drinking parties, and as Memorial Day weekend arrives locals are worried about who would be liable should someone get injured while partying atop Guest List because town, police, port and state officials all claim they don't have jurisdiction over the location in which the boat is grounded.

You can call Preston frustrated.

"I have tried like hell to get someone to do something about it," said Preston. "The boat's just too big for here. There's just no reason it was here in the first place."

While Guest List has been idle for months, Shattuck said it's not because the yacht is abandoned or forgotten. Shattuck said the boat has remained stuck in the marsh because it can't be removed until marina space opens up in Newburyport, Mass., which he said is the only area port with both the equipment needed to haul a 75-foot yacht out of the marsh and properly store it.

Patenaude said it'll "probably" be sometime around "the first week of June" before that happens, as space for the boat will only be found in Newburyport after individuals claim the boats that they stored there for the winter. Then, Guest List will reportedly receive its finishing restoration touches and an engine before its owners drive it to Florida to reportedly use it as a house boat.

Patenaude said it'll cost a small fortune to perform all of this work, which is part of the reason why Hampton Harbor accepted the yacht in the first place. That said, even though a good chunk of that revenue will be coming to his business, Patenaude said Guest List has caused enough of a headache that he's more eager about the day he can finally bid it bon voyage.

"(It) would make a good artificial reef right now," said Patenaude, joking that it would be "great" if the vessel just sunk. "I'm tired of looking at it, that's for sure."

'Guest List' mystery boat now a tourist attraction

By Kyle Stucker

Hampton Union, May 30, 2014

A large white boat with no engine or rudder sits in the salt marshes near the Hampton Marina. Hampton Beach resident Alicia Preston has voiced concern as to who should remove the shell named Guest List.[Rich Beauchesne photo]

HAMPTON — Dozens upon dozens of people have flooded a couple of small Hampton Harbor streets over the past week to get a glimpse at "Guest List" after news reports started publicizing the zany rumors and spectacle surrounding the beached 75-foot white yacht.

The boat had floated around the harbor for days multiple times earlier this year after breaking two different moorings, and it has been the subject of concern since February after it became entrenched in the local marsh. Guest List has also been rumored to be a pornography studio, while others have claimed it would be exploded in a Denzel Washington movie.

The Hampton Union broke the story about the shell of a boat on May 23, and Hampton Harbor resident Alicia Preston jokingly said she could've made a killing in the week that followed had she charged admission to all of the people who drove down just to see the vessel.

"They're still coming," said Preston. "Dozens have come down. At least many dozens (of people)."

The old Navy Burger yacht was brought to Hampton late last year because its marina was thought to be the only one in the area with the space and means to store the boat for its Brazilian owner, who told harbor officials he planned to fully refinish it into a vessel upon which he could live off the coast of Florida.

The moorings in Hampton Harbor proved to be inadequate. Further complicating the matter was the fact that the Guest List's owner was back home in Brazil and couldn't be reached during the period that the yacht was floating in the harbor. He also couldn't be reached during the period that Guest List started creeping toward Preston's 25 Tuttle Ave. home in February after it was intentionally grounded behind her property.

The wandering, captainless boat was a humorous sight for those in the area, although frustrations started to grow because Preston and others started to hear conflicting reports from officials about the boat's future and who had jurisdiction over the vessel while its beached location.

Harbor officials told the Hampton Union that the boat was beached with the intention of leaving it there until it could be removed in June. It can't be removed until June because that's when marina space will open up in Newburyport, Mass., which officials said is the only area port with both the equipment needed to haul a 75-foot yacht out of the marsh and properly store it.

The boat's owner is funding the removal and still owns the vessel, according to harbor officials.

Frustrations have resurfaced in recent days, though, after TV stations picked up the story about Guest List. Preston said some individuals have refuted some of the information they originally gave her about jurisdiction, although harbor officials and Preston insist that the yacht is still slated for removal in the immediate future.

"Stories have changed in the past 48 hours, but at the end of the day if the boat's removed and no one's hurt in the process and the marsh (isn't permanently damaged by the beached vessel), then I'm happy," said Preston. "I hope it's resolved."

Hampton saying bon voyage soon to beached Guest List

By Corinne Holroyd

Hampton Union, June 5, 2014

HAMPTON — The yacht stuck in Hampton Harbor will soon be on its way out.

The 75-foot Guest List has been grounded since it broke two moorings, washed up on the marshes and suffered damage that left a gaping hole in the vessel. Mike Wheeler, owner of Hampton Harbor Boatworks, said the yacht's owners, Marcelo and Andresa Nunes, are sending a check to repair and move the boat. Wheeler said he will start the process of removing the boat around June 14.

HHB service manager Jim Patenaude has been in contact with Andresa Nunes and said temporary repairs will cost $6,000 to $8,000. The company will then raise the boat and send it to the Merri-Mar Yacht Basin on the Merrimack River in Newburyport, Mass., where repairs will be completed.

After the Nunes family bought the yacht in Newburyport, the plan for it — according to a May 31 Boston Globe article — was for the family to buy motors and have them installed at HHB. Then they were going to sail to Miami, Fla., sell the motors and make the yacht a permanent family home. Andresa Nunes explained it was her family's dream to do so.

According to Patenaude, the family ran into a string of bad luck. The family paid a man for two motors so they could travel to Miami, but he went out of business and they lost thousands of dollars. The Nunes family, however, had already sold their Miami home and moved to Brazil, according to the Boston Globe. Patenaude said Marcelo Nunes then used the family's money to start a security company in Brazil to try to take advantage of the upcoming World Cup. That business failed. Soon, the insurance on the boat lapsed and the family was left with no option but to leave it until they could make enough money to pay for its repair and removal.

Patenaude said Andresa Nunes and the couple's children have moved back to her native Mexico. He said the family is leaning toward selling the boat, saying they cannot afford to get the yacht to Miami and that Hampton Harbor Boatworks will help broker the sale.

Wheeler said he has heard of "three or four" interested buyers, but added more buyers may come with the publicity surrounding the boat. Rumors swirled in the Seacoast, including that the yacht was being used as a pornography studio or that it would be blown up in a Denzel Washington movie.

When the Hampton Union published a story about the boat on May 23, it became a tourist attraction. HHB has since put up a no trespassing sign after one of the rudders — costing up to $2,000 — was stolen. "If we see anyone on it, we can just call the cops," Wheeler said.

Wheeler said the marshes where Guest List is entrenched were not damaged and the yacht is empty of fuel, so none leaked out.

'Guest List' Still Beached at Harbor

By Kyle Stucker

Hampton Union, July 8, 2014

HAMPTON — Hampton Beach's now-infamous accidental attraction has overstayed its visit, and officials say it'll likely be that way for the foreseeable future.

A beached, hollow 75-foot yacht named "Guest List" was due for removal from the shores of Hampton Harbor in June.

That never happened, though, and the port that was scheduled to receive the vessel says Guest List's owners' "financial crisis" has led to a state of "limbo."

"I don't know why someone here would want to haul it and be stuck with it because it's all up in the air because (no one knows) who's going to pay for it," said Paul Hogg, the Newburyport, Mass., harbormaster. "I'm glad it's in Hampton and not Newburyport."

Guest List has been a tourist attraction and hot spot for illegal parties since newspaper stories in May detailed the rumors surrounding the vessel.

The yacht broke multiple moorings since it was brought to Hampton late last year, and that led to an intentional grounding that tore a large hole in the underside of the vessel.

Marcelo and Andresa Nunes, Mexican citizens who live in Brazil, purchased Guest List in Newburyport with the intention of adding motors to it and renovating it into their permanent family home.

The Nunes family paid a man to install two motors, although they lost that money because that man's company went out of business. The Nuneses also lost a large sum of money while unsuccessfully trying to start a security company in Brazil, and the insurance on the boat has also lapsed.

Guest List was slated for removal from Hampton Harbor in mid June, although Hogg said it has been "sitting around (and) lingering" past that date due to these financial problems.

Despite reports the Nuneses have sent a check to Hampton Harbor Boatworks (HHB) — the company that was going to make temporary repairs so the yacht could be transported to Newburyport — Hogg said several individuals are now "pointing fingers" about the boat's responsibility.

Hogg also said "no one" has contacted Newburyport about a new removal or transportation date even though New Hampshire officials say the plan still is to transport Guest List to Massachusetts.

"I definitely (won't) allow it to come to Newburyport unless (repairs are made)," said Hogg. "They're definitely not going to tow it here (in its current state)."

Tracy Shattuck, New Hampshire's chief harbormaster, said there has "been no change" in the status of Guest List or the efforts to get it removed.

Shattuck deferred additional comment to HHB officials, although HHB officials haven't returned calls for comment over the last two weeks.

In the meantime, concerns about the yacht continue to grow as Hampton Harbor residents continue to see signs of partying on and in the boat.

Alicia Preston, whose Tuttle Avenue home abuts the land upon which Guest List is beached, said "people are on it all the time" and that it also still poses a threat to the surrounding wetlands.

Preston said she believes one of the departments or businesses involved with beaching and monitoring the yacht should "take responsibility" for removing if its owners no longer want it or no longer have the financial means to remedy the situation.

"If the boat isn't moved, this situation isn't over," said Preston. "At this point it's just upsetting, it's ugly, it's an eyesore, and it's a danger."

State seizes unwanted Hampton 'Guest'

By Kyle Stucker

Hampton Union, July 15, 2014

HAMPTON — The state has decided to seize "Guest List" days after two arrests were made in connection with an alleged party atop the beached 75-foot-long white yacht.

Guest List has been beached along Hampton Harbor since February, and Chief Harbor Master Tracy Shattuck said Monday that the boat's seizure "starts the clock ticking" on the vessel's long-awaited removal.

"We have been trying to work with the folks who own it, and we had cooperation and we hope we still will," said Shattuck. "Nothing had happened. They told us they would and they were unable to make it occur, so we felt it was time to take the next step. If it spurs action, that's wonderful. If not, we have recourse now."

The seizure means Guest List will remain in place over the course of the next 90 days, according to Shattuck.

If owners Marcelo and Andresa Nunes don't remove the vessel by Oct. 12, it becomes property of the state and will be removed by the state.

The seizure comes less than a week after two juveniles were arrested on alcohol-related charges after an alleged party atop Guest List.

Deputy Chief Rich Sawyer said one boy was charged with unlawful possession of alcohol and one 16-year-old girl was charged with driving while intoxicated and transportation of alcoholic beverages after police responded to the vessel around 7 p.m. Wednesday.

There had been some question as to who has jurisdiction over the engineless shell of a yacht, which was intentionally grounded along the marshes near several Tuttle Avenue houses in February after it broke multiple moorings and on multiple occasions floated aimlessly through Hampton Harbor.

Sawyer said his department has not been instructed by any parties to restrict access to the boat, and he said Wednesday's charges stem from the fact that police found illegal activity involving alcohol when they arrived.

Shattuck said the arrests — the first police have made in connection with an incident involving Guest List — didn't "really" play a factor in the state's seizure.

"It certainly makes us question whether there's a public safety hazard there, but we've been advised there's not that much activity," he said.

A certified letter will be sent to the Nuneses' current address in Mexico in order to inform them of the seizure.

In addition to removing it on their own, Shattuck said the owners have the option of waiving the 90-day period. This would allow the state to remove the vessel "more quickly," he said.

The state doesn't yet have an estimate for how much the removal would cost because it could require a bidding process and the use of a barge.

"There are too many questions before we determine what the prices will be," said Shattuck.

Guest List has been sitting along Hampton Harbor for months because marina officials were waiting for the Nuneses to send funds to repair the boat so it can be transported to Newburyport, Mass.

The Nuneses, who are Mexican citizens, purchased the boat with the intention of reconstructing it and using it as a house boat off the coast of Florida, marina officials have said.

The couple's financial problems delayed those plans and the yacht's original removal date in mid June.

Guest List has become a tourist attraction due to news reports and numerous farfetched rumors about its origin.

Who Wants a Yacht? Abandoned Guest List Up For Grabs

By Kyle Stucker

Hampton Union, October 2, 2014

HAMPTON — Officials say they are preparing to move forward with steps to remove "Guest List," a controversial 75-foot yacht that has been sitting in or beached along Hampton Harbor for nearly a year.

The state seized the vessel in July, giving its owners a 90-day window to take action. That window ends Oct. 12, and the owners still haven’t given any firm indications whether they plan to remove the boat before that date, according to Chief Harbor Master Tracy Shattuck.

Because of this, Shattuck said the state intends and has the authority to award Guest List to the highest bidder or someone willing to remove it.

"We certainly want it out of there before the snow flies and we’re going to move quickly once the time is expired," said Shattuck.

The engineless shell of a yacht has been a spectacle, complete with farfetched rumors and arrests connected with parties atop the vessel, since it was first brought to Hampton late last year.

It was intentionally grounded along the marshes near several Tuttle Avenue houses in February after it broke multiple moorings and on multiple occasions floated aimlessly through the harbor.

Since then, marina officials have been waiting for owners Marcelo and Andresa Nunes to send funds to repair Guest List. The Mexican citizens purchased the yacht with the intention of reconstructing it and using it as a house boat off the coast of Florida. The couple's financial problems delayed those plans and the yacht's original removal date, which was scheduled for mid June.

Shattuck said the last contact he had with the Nuneses was through an e-mail exchanged roughly "six weeks ago." In that e-mail, Shattuck said Andresa Nunes requested another month to remove the yacht, to which Shattuck said he replied that the couple has until Oct. 12.

A number of local individuals have casually mentioned they’d be interested in purchasing and removing the yacht, and Shattuck said Tuesday that so far he’s received "three or four" such inquiries.

The state isn’t looking to make a profit off selling the vessel, although he said it’s "possible" his agency could receive some small amount of money if the bidding process is competitive.

"This is not something that’s going to make us a lot of money," said Shattuck. "I don’t expect to see big numbers on this. I really don’t."

Residents in the area have been concerned about the environmental impact of the vessel, as they say it appears to have altered tidal patterns in the marshes near the marina. Those residents have said they’ll be happy once the vessel is removed and there are no signs of permanent damage to the surrounding environment.

Shattuck said Tuesday that the vessel doesn’t pose a "direct environmental hazard," which is something he and other officials have previously said about Guest List.

No bidders for abandoned yacht at harbor

By Kyle Stucker

Hampton Union, October 31, 2014

HAMPTON — The future of Guest List is still murky, as the state received no bids for the beached yacht before the bidding window closed last week.

The state had hoped a bidder enticed by the abandoned 70-foot boat’s rumor-filled saga at Hampton Harbor would pay to remove the vessel, but Chief Harbor Master Tracy Shattuck said another approach will have to be taken because of the "zero" interest.

"I was hoping to get the state out from under this thing without any expense, and it doesn’t appear that’s going to happen," said Shattuck.

The state seized Guest List over the summer after its owners, who brought the engineless vessel to the area to be renovated into a house boat, failed to send money for repairs or removal.

After the seizure, the owners were given a 90-day ultimatum to remove Guest List in order to avoid losing ownership of it. The owners didn’t comply by the end of that 90 days earlier this month, leading the state to put Guest List out to bid.

Guest List was first brought to the area late last year. It broke two of its moorings in Hampton Harbor, during which it could be seen floating aimlessly through the shallow water, and was eventually run aground in the marshes off Tuttle Avenue to prevent damage to other vessels and docks.

Residents around the harbor hoped a bidder would want to take Guest List out of their back yards, but at the same time they were also concerned that the extensive work required to make the vessel operable — there is a large hole in the bottom of the hull — would deter interest.

Shattuck said it "seems fruitless" to solicit bids a second time. He’s currently working to establish how much it would cost to remove the yacht and how much it would cost to disassemble it in place in order to remove it.

Those estimates will dictate whether Shattuck will have to go out to bid to hire a company to get Guest List out of Hampton Harbor.

Shattuck said he can’t predict how long it will take before the vessel is removed, but he said he’s working as hard as he can.

"We’ll move forward as quickly as we’re able to move forward," said Shattuck. "We don’t want it there in the snow."

Guest List Gets Company

Two additional boats wash ashore at Hampton Beach

Two additional boats wash ashore at Hampton Harbor

By Kyle Stucker

Hampton Union, November 3, 2014

Abandoned yacht Guest List, left, got a little company over the weekend because a storm drove two other vessels onto the shore. White Falcon, shown to the right of Guest List, was still beached there Monday morning.

HAMPTON — Living next to a marina, Tuttle Avenue resident Alicia Preston is used to having boats visible out her back window.

For the last year, she’s also been dealing with the fact that an abandoned 70-foot yacht named Guest List has been beached along her Hampton Harbor property. She was surprised and frustrated, though, to discover Monday morning that two more boats had broken free of their moorings and had washed ashore next to Guest List.

"The Guest List is inviting guests," said Preston.

A roughly 30-foot-long boat named White Falcon and another ship broke free of their moorings at some point late Sunday or early Monday due to a strong storm, according to Chief Harbor Master Tracy Shattuck.

High winds and storm swells carried them up to Preston’s property, turning what was a single vessel of irritation into a fleet that had Preston shaking her head in disbelief Monday.

"This should be a big, big red flag to the state or whomever is in charge of getting Guest List out of there now," said Preston. "It clearly has created a system where big, large things can float up next to my home.

"Normally, these things are moored and if they do float around they don’t come up this far. That’s why I attribute it to the damming effect. It’s got to do with Guest List."

Shattuck, the individual overseeing the state’s ongoing efforts to remove the engineless Guest List, disagreed with this assertion. He said it’s "not uncommon" for "one or two" vessels to break free of their moorings during larger storm events, especially "considering the number of moorings out there in tidal waters."

"(Guest List is having) no impact," said Shattuck. "I’m not a scientist, but I don’t buy that (claim)."

One of the two new beached vessels had been removed as of early Monday morning, while White Falcon was scheduled for removal later in the afternoon once the tide got high enough, according to Shattuck.

Guest List, which has a large hole in the underside of its hull and is little more than a shell of a boat, was first brought to the area late last year. It broke two of its moorings in Hampton Harbor, during which it could be seen floating aimlessly through the shallow water, and was eventually run aground in the marshes off Tuttle Avenue to prevent damage to other vessels and docks.

The state seized Guest List over the summer after its owners, who brought the vessel to the area to be renovated into a house boat, failed to send money for repairs or removal.

After the seizure, the owners were given a 90-day ultimatum to remove Guest List in order to avoid losing ownership of it. The owners didn’t comply by the end of that 90 days earlier this month, leading the state to put Guest List out to bid.

No one submitted bids for Guest List, though, which means the state will now fund the yacht’s removal. Shattuck is still in the process of determining how much the removal will cost, and the state may have to put the removal out to bid depending on Shattuck’s estimates.

Shattuck said he is still "absolutely" trying to get Guest List out as soon as possible.

"We don’t want it there in the snow," he has said.

Yacht Still Beached Near Hampton Harbor

Homeowner fed up with lack of response from town, state

Two additional boats wash ashore at Hampton Harbor

By Max Sullivan

Hampton Union, January 27, 2015

Guest List, an abandoned white boat, sits on the salt marshes at the end of Tuttle Avenue at Hampton Beach in Alicia Preston's backyard.

HAMPTON - Alicia Preston said she’d been told by the state Department of Environmental Services that “Guest List,” a 70-foot yacht, would hopefully be removed from its current location before the storms hit this winter.

But a month later, DES informed Preston that the yacht, stranded next to Preston’s Tuttle Avenue beachfront property, is out of the department’s jurisdiction. They said it’s simply not a violation to dump a yacht in the wetlands because it is causing no contamination, according to Preston.

And so Monday morning, as Preston was looking out her window and Winter Storm Juno loomed, Guest List was still looking back at her.

Juno is expected to ravage the Northeast from Monday night through Wednesday morning, according to Weather.com, bringing two feet of snow and harsh conditions.

“Hopefully my house will be standing come Wednesday,” Preston said.

Guest List has been stranded next to Preston’s property since Feb. 2014. The state seized the boat in July, after its owners abandoned it, giving officials the authority to award the yacht to the highest bidder. When no bids came, the state was left with the burden of removing it but has yet to act.

The engineless shell of a yacht has been a spectacle, complete with far-fetched rumors and arrests connected with parties atop the vessel, since it was first brought to Hampton late last year.

It was intentionally grounded along the marshes near several Tuttle Avenue houses in February after it broke multiple moorings and on multiple occasions floated aimlessly through the harbor.

Marine officials tried to work with owners Marcelo and Andresa Nunes to remove the boat, but the couple didn’t have the funds to make the necessary repairs. As a result, it’s been stuck there since.

Earlier this month, Hampton Town Manager Fred Welch said the town decided not to assist in the removal of the yacht, as recent cuts to the operating budget that will be voted on in March make it difficult to spend any money on it.

Portsmouth Harbor Master Tracy Shattuck said he’s been speaking with various marine contractors, hoping that he could either sell it to someone or pay them to remove it. There have been no buyers so far, though, and Shattuck said the lowest offers to remove it have been around $30,000, which is more than he’s willing to spend.

Preston said she’s enraged that she’s been ignored by the state and her local government in a situation that could put her and her neighbors in danger. As she awaited Shattuck to arrive and anchor down the boat in hopes of keeping it from moving during the storm, Preston considered whether or not she should stay in her home for the night with her three poodles.

“I’ve hired a lawyer, done everything to get my local and state government to help me and they won’t, and one of the greatest responsibilities of government at any level is to help their citizens and protect them, and they’ve failed,” Preston said. “Now I’m facing a 75-foot yacht in the worst storm of 35 years and I think my government has failed me, and I wish I was surprised to say that.”

Shattuck said he wouldn’t say he’s “frustrated” with the state. He’s accepted that their help is no longer an option.

“I’m trying to find a solution and researching all possible avenues, and that one didn’t work,” Shattuck said.

Port still working to remove unwanted "Guest" yacht

Two additional boats wash ashore at Hampton Harbor

By Max Sullivan

Hampton Union, August 28, 2015

HAMPTON — Final arrangements are being made to remove an abandoned yacht, a year and a half after the boat ran aground in a local marsh at Hampton Beach.

Geno Marconi, port director of the New Hampshire Division of Ports and Harbors, said he is meeting this weekend with Luis Elias, a Hampton Falls business man who agreed to take ownership of the 75-foot boat, named “Guest List,” earlier this year. The plan is for Elias to pay to remove the boat himself, and Ports and Harbors will help cover that cost, Marconi said. No dollar figures are set, nor a date and time for the removal, but Marconi expects that will be worked out when they meet on Sunday.

“We’re ramping it up here,” Marconi said. “I need to get it out of here. It needs to go.”

Alicia Preston, whose house on Tuttle Avenue sits closest to the boat, heard similar claims last winter and again in the spring when Elias first got involved. She’s hoping this time it’s for real. “I hope they are (moving the boat soon),” Preston said. “I mean, it’s been a really long road.”

Guest List broke from a mooring in Hampton Harbor and became stranded in the marsh next to Preston’s house in January 2014. Locals initially found the yacht charming, sharing outlandish rumors, like that the boat would be the newest beach restaurant, or that it was once used as a secret pornography studio. Maybe the boat would be blown up in a Denzel Washington movie, some wondered according to Preston.

The state seized Guest List in July 2014, after its owners abandoned it, giving officials the authority to award the yacht to the highest bidder. When no bids came, the state was left with the burden of removing it. Elias agreed to take the boat earlier this year. The move was put on hold because the boat is low on Elias and Marconi’s lists of priorities, Marconi said. The boat could need serious repair before it can float again, he said.

Part of the reason for the delay in removing the boat, Marconi said, is that Guest List was a “learning experience” for his division. Boats are serious financial investments, he said. Usually, owners want to save their lost boats as soon as possible, he said, adding it was shocking the owners abandoned the yacht.

The 75-foot yacht was taken away at high tide, roughly 12:30 p.m., via a tow boat and dragged to Hampton Beach State Park, where it was torn apart by Stateline Construction, of Hampton Falls, and taken to a landfill.

The New Hampshire Division of Ports and Harbors paid $18,000 to get rid of the boat, according to Port Director Geno Marconi.

The Guest List was in the marsh at the end of Tuttle Avenue for more than a year and a half. The closest neighbor, Alicia Preston, had been icing the champagne since last week in anticipation of the boat’s removal. She said she and other neighbors are ecstatic to have Guest List, an eyesore and safety hazard, removed from her view of the marsh.

The boat’s bow pointed at the west side of her house from just 100 feet away.

“This whole neighborhood is psyched,” Preston said. “We want our sunset back, and we are thrilled to have it back.”

Guest List first appeared in the marsh in January 2014 when it broke from its moorings in the Hampton Harbor. It had been abandoned by its owners and remained unclaimed until the state seized it in July. The Port Authority put the yacht up for auction, but there were no bids after 90 days, and Guest List became state property.

Earlier this year, talks began with Stateline Construction to remove the boat. Last week, a deal was struck between the construction company and the state Port Authority to have the boat removed, Marconi said. Towboat U.S. was hired to fill two large holes in the boat and then tow it from the harbor.

About a dozen onlookers took videos on their phones at the edge of the Hampton River Marina parking lot. Two police cruisers responded to a call by the marina because the onlookers were technically on marina property, but no one was ticketed.

Neighbors said the yacht was a nuisance for a number of reasons.

For one, it drew dozens of tourists down the small avenue, said Preston’s neighbor, JoAnne Lamoureux. She said she’d see as many as 15 cars in a day drive to the end of Tuttle Avenue, tourists getting out to take pictures.

The boat was also seen as a safety hazard. Preston said she was concerned about the high tide carrying the boat into her living room window during a storm. Last year, the Port Authority tied the boat down to prevent it from being carried by storm waves.

Preston also said she saw kids climbing on the yacht at least six times this summer, which she said is dangerous considering how tall the boat stood and how shallow the water it sat in was.

“Kids come down here and jump off thinking there’s enough water to jump off into,” Lamoureux said. “A lot of us have been afraid someone would get hurt.”

Lamoureux said she was concerned someone would decide to burn the boat for fun.

The boat initially came with its charm. People wondered where Guest List came from, sharing outlandish rumors, like that the boat would be the newest beach restaurant, or that it was once used as a secret adult film studio. Maybe the boat would be blown up in a Denzel Washington movie, some wondered, according to Preston.

Preston said she thought having a boat in her backyard was “funny” at the beginning, but then storm season came.

“It went from funny stories to all of us saying, ‘Oh crap, that boat is going to crash into my house,'” Preston said.

To remove the boat Monday, Towboat U.S. had to dive underneath the boat with scuba gear to patch up two 3-by-6-foot holes that prevented it from floating. Guest List has no engine, so two towboats directed it through other parked boats in the marina.

Mike Goodridge of Towboat U.S. said the boat would take at least $10,000 to bring back to its original condition because its wooden frame has rotted out.

As neighbors celebrated, some with beer in hand as they watched the yacht float away, Marconi said by phone that it was a relief to see the Guest List ordeal finally end.

“It’s a relief of a burden,” Marconi said. “The process was long and cumbersome.”